Fight or Flight
by ladyCubert128
Summary: The universe was a cruel place to the prodigy that was only human and the man that dreaded being a god. And yet, their failure to the world was what brought them together. This fic is also dead, so you can read it if you'd like, just keep in mind it cuts off as soon as it gets good. However I'm currently working on a successor called Left Below. Read that!
1. Chapter 1

"Well, I must say that I'm rather impressed, Miss..."

"Tiamo."

"Ah yes, Cordelia Tiamo."

The grey-haired woman flipped through some papers at her desk. "Top of your class in almost every category at the age of seventeen; very impressive. Hand to hand combat, control, agility, accuracy... "

Cordelia glanced up as she continued to talk. The sun shone through the open windows above, glinting off the numerous war medals and portraits of past commanders mounted on the tall stone walls. They went all the way back to an ancient oil painting of Caeda, wife to the Hero King. The woman's Falcoknight armour, recently polished, gleamed in the sunlight. She knew that this was no small job; she was to be part of a legacy. "Well, I want to try my best for the good of the Halidom, of course." She cracked a slight smile in an attempt to look somewhat confident, but obviously not too cocky.

"Haha. Well, of course." Cordelia felt that she didn't quite buy it. The woman set the papers aside in a pile on her desk. She folded her hands on the mahogany surface. "Why do you want to join the Ylissean Pegasus Knight squadron, Cordelia?"

"Well, because I'm a terrible runner, of course," she joked.

The woman chuckled. "I could see that playing a part." Her face turned serious again.

"But, well, as I told you before, I want to protect the country where I live, right?"

"Cordelia, why do you really want to join the squadron?"

She hesitated.

Damn, her suspicions were correct.

"Is that not a good reason? Ylisse is my home, after all," she said, in an attempt to defend herself.

"I'd say that it is indeed a very noble reason. What you still have not answered is why." The woman looked up at her. Her face was calm, but her stark red eyes pierced like beams of Arcfire. "What makes Ylisse your home? Is it the rolling grass? The mountains? Your family?"

"A special person?" Cordelia asked.

Wait, shit.

Now she knew. It was all just a stunt to impress some stupid man. Now what was she supposed to think of her?

The woman dipped her white quill into a small pot of ink. "Well, my dear, I'm very pleased to hear that." She said drearily, as if this were nothing but routine to her. She wrote something on the paper in front of her in an elegant, illegible cursive. "Love can be a very powerful driving force of motivation, Miss Tiamo. I'm sure he would do the same for you."

"Oh, er, yes. Absolutely. Positively. Right. Yes. Absolutely."

The grey-haired woman smiled. Cordelia knew by this point that the commander could see right through her flimsy confident façade, if one could even call it such. The silence was deafening. She felt as though a javelin had punctured her heart for the third time this week.

She changed the topic. "I mean, my mother was a soldier, too, of course. I feel that it's incredibly important to keep those family ties strong, so I decided to follow in her footsteps." She wasn't lying at all, although she still did feel guilty that her late mother wasn't the first thing to come to mind when it came to such matters.

The woman nodded. "Well, either way, I'm sure that once we're finished and you're a fully-fledged pegasus knight, he'll have no choice but to fall head over heels for you." It was obvious that this woman wasn't going to take any crap. She was going to whip her into shape over the next few months, both physically and psychologically.

But Cordelia was ready. This was her new life.

The captain stood up to shake the new recruit's hand. "Welcome to the Ylissean Pegasus Knight squadron, Cordelia."

"It will be an honour working with you, Commander Phila."

* * *

 **Author's Notes**

Hi! I am glad that this little story has piqued your interest for long enough that you've decided to click on it and read through the prologue. It tells the grand tale of a cool pegasus knight named Cordelia and all her various adventures. I ship her with Robin. He's here too.

I try to update as often as I can, but of course, university is hell, so I find that I tend to update once every month at the very least. I'll warn that the first two or so chapters may seem a little slow compared to the rest of the plot, but the place where people start to actually like it seems to be chapter 3. The first couple of chapters do exist for a reason, though, so by all means read through em, just know that it does get better later on, at least from my point of view.

Also, leave reviews if you can! I really like to read whatever you have to say or suggest, and even if it isn't particularly useful, it's fun to hear from people! Stay classy, my dudes.


	2. Chapter 2

"Move it, Tiamo! You're open! Your technique is a disgrace! You're not worthy to protect a queen with that throw! Faster! Faster!"

Cordelia whipped her lance through the air as she struck the training dummies with ease from her pegasus. It had been six months since she'd first begun her training regimen, but she wasn't impressing Phila like she was able to on her first day yet, as she continued to blast orders like arrows at her whenever she did anything. She hacked, slashed, jabbed, and threw her way to a seamless destruction of all things made out of hay with targets taped onto them, and with a great spin of her weapon in the air, she completely obliterated it in one fell swoop. Her brow was furrowed and drenched with sweat, the white underside of her gauntlet was stained with her blood, her breathing grew deeper, she was ready to take on ten thousand of these stupid things just to improve.

"Excellent finish, Tiamo. Your aim is superb, but I'm afraid you couldn't put a dent in a grown Plegian man's silk chemise with the force you're using. I expect to see you improved by tomorrow morning, no excuses."

Phila's arms crossed behind her back with a sharp movement, and she walked on to the next trainee with an expert rhythm and timing. as she stomped her foot in front of another trainee named Jay, and gave her the orders. Even the way she walked was intimidating.

"Hey genius, better keep those marks up so y'all can please the old lady!" sing-songed one of the knights, her eyebrows raised so high they could have flown right off her forehead.

"Yeah, being a good fighter doesn't just come from good genetics. Work hard and maybe you'll live up to your expectations."

Cordelia rolled her eyes. Sometimes she just couldn't stand her comrades, talented as they were. She commanded her mount to land with a swift kick as she suddenly came upon a very familiar flatterer.

Her mood quickly made a turnaround. She smiled.

"Wow, that was amazing!"

"Don't be silly." she replied shyly. "I've seen you do at least five times better than I just did at the same excercise."

The flatterer in question was Sumia, her best friend. They'd known each other since grade school and had been practically inseparable since. Although Cordelia was the one with all the pressure put on her, Sumia had shown herself to be a very capable fighter as well, so when Cordelia was accepted into the squadron, Sumia signed herself up immediately, despite initially wanting to become a cleric. It was good to have a friend that you could tell almost anything to without fear of it getting out, especially in the toxic environment that is anything with a 100% female population. This was mostly due to the fact that anything you told her was sure to leave her head as quickly as it was haphazardly processed.

"Oh come on, Cordelia, you're the best Pegasus Knight ever! Don't kid yourself."

"Well, Phila sure doesn't seem to think so. And if you say so, then in order to keep my supposed title of 'The Best', I still need to train harder." She dismounted and went to grab a short spear from the weapons rack.

"Hey, put that spear down! You've been training for two hours straight! You need a break, come sit down and talk! At least give Phila some time to grab some more dummies after you destroyed them all." She giggled. "You're not that different from Chrom, are you?"

She bent over and took a much needed breath. "I think our situations may be a little different." She straightened her back and stretched her shoulders. "After all, I'm training to protect him."

"Oh, _I_ see how it is..." She fluttered her eyelashes a bit at her, hoping to provoke something from her.

"Oh, never mind that!"

"Okay, If you say so! So, what have you done since the last time I saw you, Mrs. Cordelia Lowell?"

"Oh my gods Sumia. I trained. Night and day I trained. I put at least fifteen different lances into these silly hay nightmares and I trained. I've broken weapons made from actual steel just so I could train. For the past five days since I've seen you that's all I've done, is train. I found a lance that people are telling me belonged to the great Magvellian hero Ephraim. I broke that, too." She sat on the bench next to some targets. "And all so I can just feel as though I've lived up to an insatiable expectation brought upon me by superiors and equals alike." Sumia looked over at her friend with concern as she tied her pegasus down. "Thank you for that, by the way."

"Hey, it's not a problem!"

For someone whose head was supposedly filled with air, she had a surprising attention to detail.

"So, ahem, sorry about that. For my whole sad spiel. Everything. Including the amount of times I've had to say sorry to you."

"Aw, you don't have to worry about that! I'm your friend, remember? That's what I'm here for!" Sumia gave one of her signature hugs that was far too tight. In full pegasus knight armour a deed such as this would have been rather unwelcome, but Cordelia accepted it anyway.

"So." Cordelia tried changing the subject to something Sumia could talk about. "How has your boyfriend been doing? Was his name Gary or something? I can never keep track."

"Oh, we broke up."

"Oh gods," That was incredibly awkward. "I'm... I'm sorry to hear that."

"Yeah," she said, her tears welling up slightly. She looked away, pulling at her glove. "It was last week... he broke it off, of course. He said he'd rather go into more... shady business than be with... with me. I just... I couldn't believe he'd do that to me." She stopped for a little bit to control her breathing, which was completely out of rhythm. "The... the worst part though was that... he was also having... an affair!" Her eyes started to water.

She moved over to comfort her friend. "Aww, Mia. It's okay. I'm sure there's someone out there, an even better man than he could even wish to be! You deserve it."

" _sniff,_ Really?"

"Really."

Cordelia just wished she could take her own advice.

"Hey ladies! Guess what?" It was Vaike, from Chrom's own personal militia, the Shepherds. What was he doing here? And how did he get in?

"Old boy Chrom's back, and he's brought along some fresh blood!"


	3. Chapter 3

The fresh blood in question was none other than the young man with the silver hair and the ornate cloak that Chrom's younger sister was showing to the various characters in the Shepherds' garrison.

"So what you're saying is that you found this poor bastard on the ground who helped you kill some people, and that now he's part of the Shepherds?" a tough looking woman asked, her arms crossed over her chest.

"Yep! We couldn't have driven away all those stupid brigands without Robin's genius tactics!"

The man smiled. "I'm honoured that you think that way, Lissa. I'm glad I could help."

A very serious looking lady stepped in, adjusting her glasses. "I must inquire, sir, how is it that you know nothing of your past, and yet you are still able to remember things such as your name and how to read? I'm not even sure whether to start with the apparent miracle that is you having the knowledge to defend yourself in battle. "

"Yeah, and I'm not really sure if I like the way his clothes look either. Those eyes give me the creeps." remarked the man in the green armour.

He decided to address the lady first. "Well, er, I'm not sure how to explain any of that, Madam. I'm sorry about-"

"Well! I dare say none of this sounds suspicious in the slightest!" It was the girl with the pink ribbons adorning her curly blonde hair. "Now just how do we know that you're not some filthy lowlife Plegian spy?" She held her parasol up to his throat like a knife.

"Uh... well, I..."

"Maribelle, I can see that you are as happy as everyone else may be to meet Robin, but I'd like you to at least be civil. Besides, I don't think we would have let him into the castle of all places if we thought he was a threat to us."

"Thank you, Chrom."

Robin was incredibly grateful to have the prince of Ylisse on his side. It was rather odd, the way he trusted him, especially given the circumstances, what with his country on the brink of war and all as he'd been told. "I can wholeheartedly assure you that I mean no harm to anybody here. After all, you and your sister were so kind to me, I figure that this is the only way I can pay you back."

Robin was also starting to feel mildly threatened by all of their interrogation; it'd been going on constantly ever since he was discovered in that field. The problem was that even Robin didn't know who he was. He had no last name, no history, no family, not even the slightest recollection of what he ate for dinner the night before he was found. Who knows, maybe he really had been a Plegian spy. Or worse.

"Enter the Vaike!"

His thoughts were interrupted, though, as Robin's glance shifted towards the opposite end of the short room. There he could see a rather tall muscular man who seemed to have misplaced his shirt, with a slim girl with pink armour and feather ornaments in her hair following right behind.

"Hey everybody! Chrom, Stahl, ladies, Miriel, random blue haired guy in the corner of the room drinking tea,"

"Bonjour."

"And the new guy! Pleasure to meet ya, Rob." He shook Robin's hand with an incredible force.

"Ow."

After Robin broke free, Vaike went over to annoy the others for a bit. " Good to see ya, Chrom! Where you been? I bet you had a rough time out there without ol' Teach and his trusty axe!"

Lissa chimed in. "Oh, so you're 'Teach' now, Vaike, is that it?" She giggled. "And here I thought people were just born lacking wits. It can be taught?"

"Hah! Never doubt the Vaike!" he retorted, laughing. "...Wait, was that an insult?"

Robin's focus turned to the girl at the back with the feathers in her hair. She looked up from her crouched position, and her crystal blue eyes widened.

"Oh Captain! Thank goodness you're all right! I was so... I mean... we were so..." She ran up to the captain in question, but slipped on some papers that were carelessly left on the ground. The poor girl landed on her face with a great thud.

"Oh gods..." Robin tried not to stare, but he couldn't help himself.

"Sumia, are you all right?" Chrom knelt down to help her up.

"Oh, heh, you know me, I'm... fine." she said, looking away and twirling a lock of her hair around with her fingers. In reality, she'd chipped her front tooth when falling onto the hard stone floor.

"Those boots of yours again?"

"Well, yes, er- no! I mean... _sigh."_

"Don't worry," he chuckled. "We won't have to march out to Ferox to carry out my sister's request for a few days, so I'm sure you'll have plenty of time to get yourself back on your feet before then."

The group continued to talk on about people Robin had never heard of. He stood with Chrom and Lissa, trying to find a way to insert himself into the conversation without being too blatant or rude. Then again, Vaike _was_ with the rest of them, so maybe his advances wouldn't seem out of place at all compared to his. Until then, he was simply an observer.

The tough woman went up to Sumia. "Say, didn't you have a boyfriend? Louis or something?" she inquired with a provoking smirk.

"Oh, heh, we broke up. He was kind of a jerk anyway. Of course you think all men are jerks, Sully!" She chirped to her. Her voice had a naive quality to it. She seemed very sweet.

Sully let out a hearty laugh. "Hah! Not all of 'em. Stahl's pretty okay." She looked to her left where a pompous looking man was abut to make a move on her. "Ruffles on the other hand... he's a pretty big jerk."

Lissa started to talk to Vaike. "Hey, where's Cordelia today? You didn't scare her away again, did you?"

"Ooh, she couldn't come today." It was Sumia again. She had left her conversation with Sully, who was now chatting with the man in green as the aristocrat continually tried to grab her attention. Perhaps her old lover was a sore topic for her, Robin thought. "She said that she'd rather train or something." She combed one of her soft ringlets of light brown hair with her fingers.

Chrom responded to her. "Hey, she's working to benefit her squadron, I don't see anything wrong with what she's doing. She comes to see us all the time." A look of worry crossed his face. "Although, she always looks so tired and tense whenever I see her. It's like her mind's off in another place."

Sumia sighed. "Well, I keep telling her that she needs to take it easier on herself, but she never listens. The poor thing's going to end up all alone if she doesn't- woah!"

She tripped on a stray legendary magic axe left on the floor by an unknown accomplice as she fell right into the prince's arms.

"I should probably pick this up." said Robin. "It'd be pretty embarrassing having a soldier be injured because someone forgot to clean up their mess."

"Oh my gosh, I'm so sorry Robin! It's okay, I'll pick it up! I'm the one who tripped on it!"

"Nonsense! This thing is as big as you are! Allow... me...!" Robin tried to pick it up, but he could barely do it either.

Sumia giggled. "Oh, thank you, Robin. You're the greatest!"

 _You got **Titania's Axe.**_

Robin had no idea why that thought had suddenly crossed his mind, nor what it meant. Still, he decided that the most logical thing to do was to put it on the rack with all the other weapons. He ducked out of the conversation as Chrom, Sumia, Vaike, and Lissa all started to laugh about whatever odd thing Vaike was saying next, dragging the giant weapon behind him. He could have asked for help, but decided that he wanted to be alone for the time being. Everyone seemed to be deeply involved in the conversation as well, the last thing he wanted to do was interrupt them.

The weapons were all stored in the room next door. He lit the candle that was fixed to the wall to see inside, as the sunlight had already begun to fade. He lifted the large axe onto the rack. It was at least twice as heavy as a sword, he found it hard to believe that they would issue these to priests. It was a beautiful axe, though. He ran his hand across it. The sharp blades were carved with an intricate pattern, but the handle was made of a smooth red leather, a fitting design for the radiant paladin that it was named after.

He looked down at his hands. A mark decorated the back of his right hand, two twisted spirals creeping up to his fingers, while six eyes seemed to menacingly stare right back at him. It was too detailed to be a simple birthmark, but at the same time far too pale to be a tattoo. Robin knew that it had to have something to do with where he was from, which was probably the most terrifying thing of all. It was his identity. His destiny. His dilemma. His _purpose._ He threw his sleeve over it. The first thing he was doing after the welcome party was buying a pair of gloves.

Chrom opened the door. "Hey, Robin, do you need a hand with that axe? You've been in there for a while."

"Oh, hello Chrom." Robin turned around to see his silhouette in the doorway. He'd removed his cape and armour. "It's getting late. I should probably find an inn or somewhere to stay the night."

"Are you sure? The palace has guest rooms if you'd like to-"

"Chrom, all I've done for you so far is helped you kill some people and dragged an axe into another room. I was a vagabond with amnesia in a field just two days ago, who knows what I was before that?

"None of that matters now. All I know is that you were in need. So I helped you, like anyone would do."

"I don't think you understand. I think that you are far too trusting of stangers. What would happen if my memory was jogged in the middle of the night? What if it turned out I was sent here to kill you? Or worse, your sister?"

Chrom took a deep breath. "All right, then. Whatever you say, Robin. However, I'll give you some money and you can stay in the best inn in Ylisstol. How's that?" He smiled.

Robin nodded. "Thank you, Chrom. I appreciate your help."

* * *

Robin climbed up the ladder to his room at the inn. It was a small room with a wooden chair and table in the corner, and a narrow bed against the wall. perhaps it wasn't as luxurious as the palace would have been, but he decided that it'd be safer here for everyone.

"We serve breakfast at sunrise tomorrow, so don't be late! I'll assure you that my inn has some of the best service in the country! And it's better that you don't wake up in the middle of the night, my beauty sleep is very important." the innkeeper chimed from downstairs.

"Thank you very much, miss!" Robin called downstairs. "And now, what did you say your name was again?"

The red haired woman put her finger up to her chin. "You can call me Anna."

"Of course. Good night, Anna."

"'Night, handsome!"

Robin splashed some water onto his face. He was sweaty from all the travelling that he'd done that day. The room was lit by a candle on the table, but it was still dark. However, he always had a solution. He picked up a round drinking glass and his thunder tome. With a flick of his wrist he was able to trap a small bolt of lightning in the glass, creating a much brighter light source. He set it upside down on the table, blowing out the candle. It was a very specific and smart thing to do, he thought to himself. It was incredible that it had managed to survive his amnesia. Amnesia. He shuddered at the thought. If he was resourceful enough to do this, surely he could have been capable of more. The more he thought of his possible past life, the worse it became. The mark on his hand, the tactics and combat skills, it all had to add up to something but he couldn't figure out _what._ The thoughts raced around his head faster than a swordmaster's blade.

A sharp pain went through is forehead like an arrow, stopping his thinking in its tracks. He looked out the dark window _._ He needed sleep.

He took off his black cloak to reveal a golden armored jacket underneath. He went to drape the cloak over the chair, when he suddenly heard something small drop onto the floor. He looked behind him to see something shiny glistening in the light. The object must have fallen out of his pocket. Robin bent down and examined it. His eyes widened as he stared at it for some time, as though in a trance.

It was a ring.

Six eyes were forged into the gold band, bright amethysts forming the pupils. It was a motif not dissimilar to the one found on Robin's clothing, but his one had a different feel to it. The eyes were more rounded, and the amethysts on the gold gave off a curious glow. It didn't threaten, nor provoke. It was the most beautiful thing Robin had seen in his entire life.

Of course, logic took over. Robin gasped in shock. Had he been married before his memory was lost? Did he have some poor wife wandering the countryside helplessly looking for him? Or possibly an entire family? Maybe he hadn't actually been an assassin after all. Maybe once he found her he could go back and everything would be simple again. She'd hear his adventures, they'd have a good laugh, and he wouldn't have to worry anymore.

All these thoughts and more were quickly dashed as he tried to fit it over his left ring finger. He couldn't slip it on. It didn't go on any of his fingers. The ring wasn't made for him, it was a woman's ring. Robin didn't know whether to feel disappointed or relieved, all he felt was more confusion. If the ring wasn't his, why on earth _did_ he have it? It seemed like a very valuable possession, and it also had those strange eyes that matched the pattern on his robes, as well as...

Robin's gaze shifted to the black leather glove on his right hand. No, this wasn't good. He couldn't learn about his past. It just wasn't possible.

Not if he was going to keep his new friends safe.

And yet still, his curiosity was piqued.

Chrom.

The poor naive prince.


	4. Chapter 4

Cordelia's eyes slowly flickered to life as she awoke in her bunk. The sky was a deep violet, and a cool breeze flowed through the open window. It had not quite reached dawn yet, but for Cordelia, the day had already started. She rose as the rest of the women in the dormitory continued to sleep. She made sure not to wake Sumia, who was dozed off in the bed next to her. Sumia had come home late the other night, and Cordelia was able to tell that she'd had a good time from the smile on her sleeping face. Each minute was another she regretted not going with her friend to see Chrom. She always loved to see what new talent he would find for the army, always looking out for everyone. He was a good leader. A good leader and so much more.

The floor creaked as she walked across the room where her clothes were hung. Hers were easy to tell apart from the others': a red tunic with a sharp white appliqued design on the front, some riding tights, red boots, and her long two-tone gloves. She dressed herself and tied her long scarlet hair into a messy bun. She then grabbed the two wing-shaped hair clips on the table, given to her by her father on the day she was accepted into the squadron.

She remembered the day like it was yesterday, down to the crisp breeze and the look in her father's eyes. He was so proud of his little girl all grown up, but so scared at the same time. He always knew very well that she was capable of great things, especially since the surgery, but couldn't bear to think of the possibility of yet another woman that he loved lost to the cold, unforgiving hands of war. Cordelia had always assured him that she would be just fine. She was a strong girl, and after all, she would never even think of abandoning her family, especially when they needed her most.

Which was why she needed to head out to the armory and grab her armour and weapons. Her window for practice was disappearing.

She wanted to run right out to the training grounds, but couldn't. She was in no danger of waking her comrades up, nor was the field so big that it would tire her out before she even began. Nevertheless, Cordelia had to always bear in mind her weaknesses that she could never be able to get past. So she simply took the route across the bridge that was easiest for her. Fortunately, it also happened to have the best view.

There she could see the entire ground, surrounded by the tall stone walls, with all the targets and weapons neatly organized and set up for the day. The faint light from the sunrise had started to seep in, the gargantuan walls of stone casting a shadow on the whole place. It were completely empty. It was like the calm before the storm. The calm before everyone had finished breakfast, at least.

She noticed that in addition to the lances put out every morning, there were also a variety of different axes, swords, and shields. Right, she remembered. Today was Wednesday. On some days of the week the Shepherds would have to share training grounds with the Pegasus Knights. The Shepherds were different in that most of their experience was from real fighting, what with the bandit problem slowly taking over the land, although they still needed to practice formally like the rest of the soldiers. Cordelia sighed as she continued to walk towards the narrow stairs. As she scaled them carefully, she heard someone come in through the east door. Her heartbeat accelerated. She didn't even have to wonder about who it was, it was the only other person in the world that would show up this early to train. She went though the door and into the grounds, which were illuminated by the pale sunrise.

And there he was, preparing his stance. His clothes were dark, blending into the shadowy walls, but the sun reflected brilliantly off his white cape and silver armor plate, hanging off his left shoulder. He reached for his sword, the legendary Falchion, which hung at his side. As he took it out, the blade gleamed in the rising sun. And then, with a powerful movement, he went straight for the log sitting in front of him, and cut it down with two clean slices. And then seamlessly stepping into the next one, never leaving himself open, always quick on his feet. One by one, each log was annihilated, finishing with a great stab into one on the ground. He spun his sword around once and stuck it into the ground, as was typical of him. His cape danced in the breeze. He truly looked heroic.

Cordelia sat on the bench, watching.

"That sure was something." she finally said.

Chrom turned his head. "Oh, hello Cordelia. I didn't see you there." He effortlessly pulled his blade from the ground. "I don't think I saw you at the-"

"Party, yeah, sorry about that." she cut in, looking down at the ground.

"Heh, well I'm not sure if I'd really have called it a 'party', but I suppose it could have been described as one." He brushed the dirt off his sword with his gloved hand. "Anyway, did you hear about the new recruit?"

"Oh yeah. I heard. Robin, was it?"

"Yes it is. Robin's our new tactician."

"Really?" She wanted to say that she didn't know they needed a tactician, but then she figured that the militia was growing a bit larger lately, so perhaps they really could use one. She sighed. This person would end up closer to Chrom than she ever would dream to be. But she decided that she needed to continue the conversation.

"So... what's she like?"

"Who now?" Chrom looked over at her, a bit confused.

"Robin. The tactician?"

"Er, well first of all, she happens to be a man." He picked a rapier off the weapons rack.

"Oh gods, right. Of course. Sorry." Idiot. Of course Robin could have been a man or a woman. "What is _he_ like, then?"

"Haha, well I actually found him laying unconscious in the middle of a field a few days ago. Naga knows how long he'd been there."

"Goodness."

"The man had a terrible looking bruise on the side of his head, from an injury most likely, so we decided that we should help him. Of course, Frederick didn't approve at all, but Lissa was able to heal the bruise and wake him up."

"Do tell."

"So when the man woke up, he told us that his name was Robin, as well as the fact that he couldn't remember anything about who he was besides that. No family, no history, no homeland, nothing. We'd decided that the man had had a concussion, so we decided to take him to the nearest town to find him a doctor."

"Mm-hm."

He went on about him and told about how they'd faced some brigands, how he'd earned his trust, and how he was currently staying in town and was coming by later that day. Cordelia could have listened to that strong baritone voice for hours on end. It didn't even matter that some of the things he was saying were completely absurd. His presence right there had made everything all right.

Suddenly, a completely different voice caught her attention.

"All right ladies! I want you all to give me four laps around the field! We're focusing on speed today!" It was Phila and the rest of the knights. Was it past sunrise already? An hour seemed like a mere minute when she was around him. And gods, how she hated running laps.

"I'd better go." she told Chrom as she stood up to his level.

"All Right, whatever you need to do. I need to go find Frederick anyway." He was at least half a foot taller than her.

"Bye, Chrom..." She said as he walked off to the door, calling for his lieutenant.

She sighed. She was so _bad_ at this.

"Tiamo! I need you for a minute." Oh good! No laps today.

"Yes, Commander Phila?" She asked as she walked as fast as she could across the field.

"Cordelia, I'm going to need to talk with you later on today. It's about your performance." Great, another one of these. Every time it was something different. Pick up your speed, improve your aim, you can't protect the exalt.

"Oh, yes, of course!" She said with a fake smile.

Phila smirked. "Cordelia, I can see the worry in your eyes. I can assure you that it is not a bad as you may be thinking."

"Oh! Well, okay, then. That sounds great!" Cordelia was now incredibly perplexed. What could she have in store for her? Could it be her first mission? An award? Something completely different? A marriage proposal from Chrom okay maybe that wasn't going to happen. Either way, now she was actually excited. Oh gods, what a tremendous opportunity this was going to be. She could feel the excitement rising up in her chest.

She left to go grab some weapons to practice with. "Oh, Thank you, by the way!" She shouted back.

Phila had a genuine smile on her face, something Cordelia never thought she'd see. "I'll see you tonight, Miss Tiamo."


	5. Chapter 5

Robin found that showing off his combat skills during training had been working out for him rather well throughout the day. He took advice from Miriel on how to use his tomes effectively, and Chrom helped him to sharpen his swordfighting skills. Sully and Stahl were sparring in the corner, Virion shot at the various targets with ease, and Donnel the farm boy was strangely talking to nobody in particular as he practiced with his newly acquired lance. Everyone seemed to like each other in the army, and even if they didn't , they were able to work with Robin's ideas and fight together to achieve a greater goal. Robin decided to take a breather and try to figure out the strengths and weaknesses of each person's class.

Sully and Stahl seemed to be good all-rounder soldiers, although he could see from their fighting that Sully was faster and more agile, while Stahl could take more hits and was stronger. Miriel's magic was devastating, as well as Vaike's powerful attacks, but neither wore much armor, so it was a good idea to keep them out of harm's way. And... is that Lissa trying to use an axe? Robin still couldn't get the concept of a war cleric into his head.

He was also interested in the way that the pegasus knights fought. They were graceful fliers, fast, skilled, and all women, interestingly enough. Sumia was certainly a capable fighter from what he could see, despite what he saw of her yesterday. In comparing it to the way she had acted that night, it was quite apparent that she certainly saw Chrom as much more than just a respectable captain, that was for sure. Then he had an idea. The two of them fighting together could really boost morale around the army, and who knows what else would happen? He thought to inform the captain of his new idea.

"Hey, Chrom! I just thought of something we could-"

Suddenly, he crashed head on into one of the pegasus knights making her way over to the weapon racks. She fell over as though her legs were made of crumbling bricks. "Oh gods, I am so sorry!"

Her hair was falling out of a haphazard hairdo, with two wing-shaped hair clips hanging on for dear life. Otherwise, she didn't seem to be hurt, fortunately. "Oh, it's okay. You needn't worry at all." she laughed.

"Here, let me help you up at least." He reached his arm out to her.

"That would be much appreciated. Thank you." She took Robin's hand. Her grip was rather strong.

The knight dusted herself off and took out her hairpins. "Say, I don't think I've seen you before." She said. Her smile was like a butterfly.

"I'm Robin, Chrom's new tactician." He explained.

"Ah, I've certainly... heard about you."

"Yeah, it was a a pretty strange story. It's been three days since I was found already and I still haven't gotten any of my old memories back, so I'm thinking that I'll be staying here a while." He laughed.

"Heh, well, at least you seem nice."

"I try my best." Robin said. "Say, what do you do?"

"Well, I'm a pegasus knight. I'm training to be part of an elite group of soldiers, specifically trained to protect the royal family."

"Interesting. The Exalt seems to be well protected with such a talented guard working for her."

"Absolutely. Phila is our commander, she's over there at the current moment." She pointed towards a woman with golden armour and blue clothes.

"Is she the one yelling at that poor girl?"

"Nobody but her. She works us like dogs, but it's all for the greater good of the country. I still want to push myself further so that I can live up to those expectations, as high as the bar may have been set." She sighed. He'd realized there was a shaky undertone to her voice, like it was her first time talking to someone in a long time. "Fortunately, it seems like it's all going to pay off tonight."

Robin looked at her. He could tell that she'd been overworked, there were blood stains on her gloves and bags under her eyes. She looked as though she hadn't gotten a proper night's sleep in weeks. And yet she insisted on pressing on. It was tragedy and inspiration all in one. "You know, I was actually about to ask if I could see what your fighting style is like, but I don't want you to have to work harder than you already do. It's important to stay in good health, especially since you are a soldier."

She paused for a little while. "Well, if you say so." She replied. "I was about to go train some more, although if Chrom trusts you in the way he does, then I suppose I'll take your advice, too. What's your fighting style like? I see that you're carrying a sword."

"Well, madam, I'll have you know that I am no ordinary swordsman!" He left his bronze sword to levitate on its own in the air as he pulled out his Thunder tome.

"Swords _and_ magic?" She exclaimed. "Well, I suppose that's something you don't see every day. And I must say that the levitation was a nice touch."

"Well thank you. Hopefully I can have the opportunity to come here more often to show you how it all comes together." He could have gone on and on about the different techniques and combinations he could pull off, but he didn't want to bore the girl he'd just met. Maybe if he saw her again.

"Oh yes, absolutely. It's always fun to see the new recruits that Chrom finds for the army."

"Cordy!" It was Sumia. She frantically ran up to the firey-haired knight. Robin was surprised that she didn't trip on anything this time around. "Phila told me to come get you. Apparently she wanted to talk to you or something?"

"Oh, right! Thank you Sumia!" She looked back at Robin. "Sorry but I've got to go. I have some important business to attend to." She looked incredibly eager to do so.

"Of course! By all means." She seemed rather excited, so Robin decided to let her have her moment that she had apparently been working towards for Naga knows how long.

She started to walk towards one of the doors, her long red hair flowing behind her back. "Oh gods, I forgot to ask, what's your name, miss?"

She looked back at him. "Oh, of course. My name is Cordelia. It was nice to meet you, Robin."

"You too, Cordelia."

He smiled and waved.

"I hope to see you again."

The last flash of her red hair disappeared into the doorway, and just like that, she was gone.

Robin pondered for a bit the bench. He toyed around with the ring that he'd found the other night, now suspended from a cord which hung around his neck. Cordelia. There was certainly something fascinating about her and her unrivaled determination. He felt like he wanted to help her with her cause in whatever way he could.

His gaze shifted to Commander Phila again, who was now standing at ease, close to the wall. Slowly, she turned her head. Her blood red eyes looked towards him, and her eyebrows raised, giving him a bit of an odd look. He couldn't help but stare as she did. After a solid minute, she blinked several times and went back to doing her job. Robin felt slightly uneasy. For all he knew, she could just not be used to seeing him around. Or perhaps, there could have been something that she knew, and that he just couldn't remember.

Suddenly, Chrom went up to him. "Hello Robin, I thought I heard you calling for me. What's going on?"

"Chrom!" He'd forgotten that he called him over earlier. "Damn, please forgive me, but I can't seem to remember why I was looking for you in the first place."

"Hey, no worries. It's getting to be time for dinner soon anyways, so I'm not busy at the moment."

"Well, I suppose that's good." His friend was seated right next to him, so he seized the opportunity. "Say, Chrom, what would you happen to know about Cordelia?"

Chrom looked at him as though he'd just turned into a chimpanzee wearing a small red hat.

"You know, Cordelia. The redhead girl? I, well, I was talking to her earlier, and I thought she seemed nice."

"Oh, I know who you're talking about." He breathed in. "Ah, Cordelia. The poor girl works herself so hard. And for what? Nobody knows. It's certainly not her country as she says it is. Could be fortune, although she doesn't seem the type to desire material possessions. Could be legacy, her mother was a revered hero in the Great War fifteen years ago. Could be..." He shook his head as though to rid himself of the thought. "I don't know what it is. Any time I try to talk to her I have no luck, she's always so shaky and nervous. But goodness, to see her out on the field in action." He stood up. "She's an incredibly talented fighter. I'm not even sure why she decides to push herself so much, she doesn't even need to. She's already at the top of her class, unmatched by any of the other knights in both skill and strength." He sighed deeply.

"...I see." Robin responded. "She's quite beautiful, too."

"Oh, absolutely." said Chrom. "Ahem, well, all the pegasus knights are, of course."

"Well I can't disagree with you there. I suppose I can say that I'm now looking forward to Wednesdays and Fridays after today's session."

"Aren't we all!" The two laughed for a little bit.

"Say, Chrom, I just remembered what I wanted to talk to you about."

"Oh? What was it?"

"Well, I noticed you and Sumia, er, interacting the other night."

"Oh, haha, right, Sumia." Robin could see that Chrom was starting to turn rather red. "Well, what was your idea? Now I'm curious."

"Well, I think that you're going to be on board with this one already." Robin laughed.


	6. Chapter 6

Cordelia's heart stopped. "I... I'm graduating already?" She was absolutely bewildered.

Phila nodded. "Now I know that it's quite sudden, but I see your gifts. You have great potential, and I can only see that being further developed on the field. I can't see us having such a competent soldier and keeping her locked inside some walls. I'm sure Lady Emmeryn would say the same."

Cordelia still wasn't sure she'd heard the commander right. "So what you're saying..." she pondered, "...Is that you trust me with the real missions now? As in, the missions where I actually am fighting in real battles? As in the missions where I'm fighting for Chr- er, country? My country?"

She laughed. "Of course I do, you've worked very hard over the past few months. I know for sure that you are ready."

Cordelia was overwhelmed with a great combination of excitement and fear. She realized that there was no going back now. But something inside her didn't quite feel right. And she knew exactly what it was. She felt a chill go through her as she was suffocated by anxiety.

"I... I hope that I'm ready, too."

Phila looked over at her. "Is something wrong?"

Cordelia's breathing got more restricted. "Well... you... you _do_ know about my... handicap, right?

"You know as well as anyone that you'll be on horseback for almost the entire time. I have taken this all into consideration and still see you as the right person to move on."

"Well, I'm afraid that I didn't quite get that sort of impression from you when you constantly bullied me for months into becoming a better soldier." Cordelia felt an instant regret after letting that slip. Oh, why didn't she just keep it bottled up?

"This country is in a state of dire need, we need every single knight we have knights to be at their best, and I will do anything to get them that way."

A pause. "I see."

There was an uneasy silence. Each candle on the wall flickered near each commander's portrait. The room grew darker as dusk slowly fell. She could see Phila's chest rising tremendously and, after what seemed like ages, falling as she let out a heavy sigh.

"Cordelia," The commander finally spoke. "The rumours of an upcoming war with Plegia are still but rumours, but they are rooted in fact." She took another breath. "The animosity towards Plegia and its people has been going on for over a decade, and yet, the Exalt has held out hope for us all for so long. It wasn't until recently that suspicion had grown after they'd gotten their new ruler, the mad King Gangrel. The king was stunted by mercury poisoning from a young age, and had the unfortunate luck of being heir to the throne. Now he's gone completely insane and become unpredictable, and not even our spies have been able to discern what is gong on in the country." She gazed off into space. "The Plegians could be invading any day now, Cordelia. That's why we are speeding up the training regimen for some of our soldiers. We need the best that we have ready for when danger strikes. We need people like _you."_

Cordelia's thoughts were blank. Reality could come crashing down on her at any moment, and all she could do was keep it all inside until that deadly hour. Stuck between a rock and a hard place, she was running out of options. She lifted her posture in an attempt to look more professional. She took a breath. Just fake it 'till you make it, she told herself. It's all going to be all right.

"I am honoured that you turned to me in your hour of desperation, Commander Phila. Mold me however you see fit." She said, barring any emotion whatsoever.

"Excellent. You may be dismissed." said the commander.

* * *

 _"It's all right, Cordes. You're a tough girl, you'll be able to make it just fine."_

 _The small girl in the bed looked up at her father. She was wearing a simple white shift, her long red hair tied back in a braid. He was disheveled and unshaven, and likely just as scared as she was. She smiled, but didn't say a word._

 _A knock was heard at the door. The father opened it. The priest walked in, carrying a large staff and a leather doctor's bag._

 _"Hello, Mr. Tiamo."_

 _"Good evening, Padre. I'm glad that you could answer the call. My daughter... she was in a terrible accident, and is... paralyzed from the waist down. She'd been bedridden for some time, and can only move around with the assistance of a wheelchair. She... can't play with her friends any more."_

 _"Ah, yes, now I remember. There was some serious damage done to her spinal cord."_

 _They talked for some more time about what was going to happen with everything, as Cordelia stared at the ceiling. She didn't even want to hear about what was going to happen to her. All that mattered to her was being able to walk again._

 _"However, her legs are weak. While she will be able to walk once more, she won't be able to withstand the stress of running. It's just far too much strain on her bones."_

 _"Isn't there any way to fix that?"_

 _"Unfortunately, I am only a doctor, Mr. Tiamo. I cannot work miracles, I can only pray for them."_

* * *

A week went on as per normal, but Cordelia was still overwhelmed with stress. Everything felt like it was happening at breakneck speed, her graduation ceremony was already on the very next day, and her first mission shortly after that. It was absolutely insane that she was suddenly being trusted in this way, from being a nobody to becoming a fully fledged knight in the span of such a short time. She couldn't think of anything else.

"Cordelia!" Oh gods, it was the commander.

"Yes ma'am!" she snapped to attention, giving her salute.

"Sumia has been absent for several days, if I do not see her soon she will certainly be in some deep trouble as soon as I do. Do you have any idea of where she could have gone off to?"

"Oh gods, I haven't seen her either." She replied. Sumia! Gods, had Cordelia been so stressed that she'd forgotten about her best friend? Where could she have gone?

"Well, if you do find her, please direct her to me." she said. "Cordelia, I'd like you to take the night off. You look stressed, and tomorrow is a big day for you. Have a fly around the mountain for a bit, it helps me when I need to get my mind off things."

Cordelia was speechless. "... Thank you, Phila. Oh, gods, how can I repay you-"

"Just go." Phila snapped. Then she smiled. "And have fun."

"Yes!"

Cordelia went over to the stables and found her pegasus. She pet its long white mane and untied the ropes.

"Come on, boy. We're going to go for a ride." She tugged the horse along as they walked outside The sky was crystal blue, white clouds as far as the eye could see. She clambered onto the pegasus' back, and with a tug of the reins, they were off.

It started with the slight jerk in the beginning from the horse as it spread its wings. and the rapid flapping of its wings as it lifted higher and higher into the air. But the buildings and houses got littler and littler as they went up, and from that vantage, did the world became so big, and yet so small all at once. The cold wind flew through her untamed hair, pushing it back behind her hair. One would look up and only see a jovial young lady on her pegasus without a care in the world. Because for once, that's what she was.

After a while, the sky filled with a thick white fog. She had found herself right in the middle of a giant cloud where absolutely nothing was to be seen. The pegasus slowed, but Cordelia urged it to press on. The wind was like the sound of a thousand beating drums, the clouds were thick, and sweat was coming off of Cordelia's cold brow. Everything was caving in on her...

And then, silence.

They had broken the barrier at long last. The sun sat low on the horizon, sinking into the great white sea below them. The celestial ceiling above had turned a beautiful mauve, and the mountains could be seen peaking over, like islands. It was beautiful. She would have stayed up for hours if she could, but the air was too thin to be up there for long. Still, it was worth the risk to see something so spectacular. Still, nothing gold can stay, as they say.

So she commanded her mount to descend, and they gracefully dove back into the real world.

* * *

 **Author's notes:**

Hey! I'm going to be writing these on the story from now on whenever I have something to say at the end of the chapter. Awesome! This is a chapter where my cloud to cloud Chrome extension was really messing with the story. I'd come back to writing it and wonder why I was writing about clouds all of a sudden. Anywy, this chapter was originally going to go on a bit longer, but I figured that this one was already kind of a big storydump already, plus I thought this was a good place to end the chapter, so I guess I'll save that for next time. Also, first update in like a million years! Midterms are awful!

Fun fact: I base Cordelia's experiences in the story on a lot of my own (Surprise surprise). I always felt like I identified a lot with her, so writing this story is actually a pretty good way to meditate on what I do in certain situations and then applying it to how I think this particular character would act. It's strange going from high school where nobody trusts you with freaking anything, to college (especially a career program like mine) where they just give you this expensive equipment that may or may not have the capacity to brutally injure/kill you and tell you to go ham.

Also, yes, the mercury-poisoned Gangrel thing is very much my headcanon. It just makes sense. And I also thought that Robert Frost reference was fitting, despite Robert Frost not actually existing in this world and therefore Cordelia probably wouldn't have even thought of the reference to begin with. But oh well.


	7. Chapter 7

The sky continued to grow darker as Cordelia swooped towards the north mountain. The air was crisp and light, and the view of the Ylisstol in all its majesty and beauty was right behind her. She looked back on her home, but felt slightly empty. The only way to even see this gorgeous view was from the back of a flying mount. Oh, how she had longed for someone to share in the splendour with. To bring someone else up here with her would be her only desire. She wondered if he'd ever even ridden a pegasus before. If she could just manage to get her approach right, maybe she'd be able to show him.

She directed her focus forward. Maybe she could talk to Sumia about it tonight, she seemed to know her way around men awfully well, she thought. Well, well enough that she'd managed to be in four different relationships over the course of Cordelia's training alone, that is. She sighed. If she even gets back tonight, that is. Chrom, Sumia, Vaike, Lissa, Robin, what was taking them so long? The last she'd heard of them was that they were marching to the border to bring Lady Maribelle home when she was kidnapped. She wondered if they'd been successful in their attempt, although with Chrom at the helm, she wasn't worried at all.

Suddenly, she heard some voices off in the distance. From where she was, she could see a band of soldiers and their convoy travelling across the mountain. Cordelia flinched in terror, as she was unarmed and on a frail pegasus without any armour. If they were brigands that had snuck their way into the country, she'd be shot dead as soon as they saw her. Instinctively, she ducked her head. She'd only just begun to calm down, the threat of a nasty death was NOT what she needed at this present moment.

But then, as she focused further, she could make out the blue flag that was flying from their supply wagon. On it was the unmistakable crest of the Halidom, waving proudly in the mountain wind. She exhaled in relief, and continued on her way. As she approached, she realized just who these people were. She gasped in excitement, and swooped down to greet them.

"Hey!" she yelled.

"Cordy!" shouted Sumia. There she was, safe and sound.

Cordelia dove down and landed right next to her as she trotted along the road. "Sumia, where on earth have you been? Phila and I have been worried sick about you!" Her friend's expression changed from gleeful to startled.

"Oh, gosh, I must've forgotten to tell anyone that I was leaving..." She recalled. Her eyes shifted to the ground.

"Oh gods Sumia, you need to pay more attention next time. I can't believe you would do this! What if something had happened to you?" Sumia had a pained expression.

"I... I'm sorry. Tell Phila that I said that I was sorry, too." she said.

"Oh Sumia, I'm just so glad to hear that you're all right." Cordelia responded. "So, what did you all do, anyway? I see that we have some new recruits."

"Oh yes! It's a pretty fun story." She put on her dramatic narration voice. "We'd made our way to the west border without much in the way, and we came face to face with the Mad King himself! He certainly lived up to the title, cackling like an imbecile with his unkempt red hair making him look uncannily insane. He was about to execute Lady Maribelle, and I thought all hope had been lost. Not even Chrom could get to her in time. But then, from right out of nowhere, a little mage kid showed up and saved her! It was pretty heroic, and adorable as well. So we chased the bad guys up the cliff and took down their commander. Wyverns are pretty tough things, almost impossible for someone like me to take down alone, but Robin had the fantastic idea to send me up ahead with... Chrom."

She dropped the stint briefly. "Ah, those wyverns. They were no match for him and his Falchion. In the end, we saved the day. Together. And in an incredibly strange way... it was actually pretty romantic. "

"...Oh..."

Cordelia was sweating bullets at this point. She could feel the heat rising to her head as something in her chest dropped, leaving a cold, dry feeling in her throat. She looked over. He walked along, leading his army, talking to his tactician and his lieutenant. Her limbs felt weak, her breathing grew shallow, she blinked rapidly to fight back whatever reaction was coming up

"Uh, Cordes? Are you okay?"

"... I'm... fine. It's just the wind."

"Oh, all right then."

Bless her. Bless her for being so goddamn dense. She couldn't let her see her like this, she was supposed to be her rock, she always had been. But now she was starting to crack.

"What happened in the rest of the story, Sumia?" Her voice was monotone and drab.

"Well, we marched to Ferox the next day, Chrom thinks that Plegia might try and invade soon, so he went to go ask the Khan for reinforcements and help. Invading a castle was a doozy, but I actually saved Chrom from the Feroxi soldiers that were trying to kill us!"

Cordelia didn't respond.

"Cordy, they were trying to kill us! Isn't that the slightest bit disturbing to you?"

Cordelia was gazing up at the sky.

"Sheesh, all right. Anyway, once we got in we somehow managed to be fighting in an arena under the East-Khan, Flavia. Oh, Flavia was great, you should meet her, I think that you two would get along. But, one of the opposing people was a dark, mysterious swordsman, a man of few words, and he was the West-Khan's champion!"

"Oh, really?"

"Yep! And Chrom took him down just like that! I don't think that I've ever seen him so passionate before about anything! It was amazing..."

"...Really."

"Absolutely. In fact, we actually managed to recruit him once he was defeated! There he is, over there. His name's Lon'qu."

Sumia continued to talk all about her adventures with the Shepherds the whole way home, being sure to mention Chrom every two minutes. Cordelia tried to shift her gaze away, but she still had the same instinct to look up whenever she said his name. The painstaking cycle had gone on for almost half an hour.

"And then after that, I went into one of the villages where we camped nearby, and I bought some food. And then, I made him a pie."

"... A pie."

"Yes, a pie! And I could tell that he loved it. Oh Cordelia, I think I'm in love! I think it was just meant to be! I can't believe it, I'm so happy! Oh my gosh did you see that? He just looked back and smiled at me, Oh gosh Cordes, I... I think he likes me, too! What do you think?"

What did she think? She'd just gotten her heart stomped on, she didn't have the capacity to think! But then, she saw something that she hadn't before. Sumia was smiling as she usually was, but he look in her eyes was one of pure ecstasy. She was finally confident in herself, it wasn't a nervous smile, but she was just plain happy. She was never even this happy when talking about her past lovers. She was committed to this notion, of being in love and not caring what curveballs the world threw at her.

And... although it pained her to say it, it really seemed as though Chrom would be happier with her, too.

"Oh... Sumia... I think... that it's wonderful."

It wasn't a lie in the slightest sense of the word, but something inside her felt really wrong when saying it. Shivers flooded throughout her body, she felt like she was going to throw up. But she didn't. She was a soldier, she had to stay strong. Especially for the ones she loved the most.

She looked up ahead to see him gazing into the distance. If only she'd taken a chance before, but he'd slipped from her grasp. If only...

She shook her head. No. There was no time to think about this. She had to move on. There was no choice.

But then when she made it home, even _she_ couldn't stop herself from locking herself behind a locked bathroom door in the barracks, quietly sobbing to herself throughout the cold, lonely night.

* * *

Robin wandered into the castle courtyard. It was two days after thay had come back from their expedition to the border. The night was dark and peaceful, with a torch being the only source of light in the dark garden. The same wandering and occasionally intrusive thoughts flooded his head. Someone with no memories wouldn't have an awful lot to think about, but unfortunately, that was all he seemed to do. When he wasn't talking to the others, he would attempt to pick up a book, on strategy or other subjects, but the interest in the texts had never seemed to match the throbbing curiosity for his past.

Suddenly, the sound of footsteps caught Robin's attention. He looked up. It was none other than Chrom, pacing throughout the courtyard.

"Chrom?" He tried to get his attention. "What are you doing out so late?"

He turned around. "Oh, hi, Robin. Just... dueling with some unpleasant thoughts. There's something you should know, though ...Not everything Gangrel said was a lie. The last exalt, my father, waged war on Plegia for many years. The violence... It was a brutal compaign, ending only with his death 15 years ago. Plegia rightfully remembers their suffering, but his war was no kinder to his own people. As the fighting dragged on, out army became more and more diminished. Farmers who could barely wield a pitchfork were conscripted and sent to their deaths. Soon there was no food at all, and the kingdom began to collapse. I was young, but I remember those dark times... I know how they affected Emmeryn."

"Such an experience would change anyone." he responded.

"Indeed. When our father died before her 10th year, he left her quite the legacy... Plegia's desire for vengeance, Our own people's unbridled rage, My sister became a target for blame on all sides. Her own subjects began to hurl insults-and stones. She still bears the scar from one... But she never let them see her pain. Only Lissa and I understood."

"It must have been so hard..."

"I cannot claim to know how she does it, Robin. I could not greet such hostility with warmth and patience. While our people mocked and vilified her, she reached out and healed them. She brought soldiers home to their families. She ended the war. And when Ylisse's spirit was mended and the people "forgave" her?"He paused. "She never resented them for it. She represents the best part of the halidom-the part most worth protecting. She IS peace. But some men would take advantage of that. Men like King Gangrel. The day he understands peace will be the day death gives it to him. ...So perhaps I must be death's agent. Emmeryn would never order him killed, nor would I wish her to."

Robin nodded grimly.

"Chrom... I-"

"Wait! Did you hear something?" There was a faint rustling sound coming from the bushes.

"...I'm... not sure..." Robin looked around. There wasn't any sign of suspicious activity around. Nothing except...

"Look out!"

But it was too late. An assassin had made its way inside, and stabbed the prince in the side before he was able to draw his sword. Robin brandished his own sword and lunged forward. The assassin was incredibly fast. He tried to dodge, but the assassin managed to slice Robin's left arm. He could feel the blood trailing out of his body, and felt his arm go limp. But then, as his opponent prepared his killing strike, Robin rolled out of the way and cut him down from the rear, leaving his lifeless body to slump onto the stone. Robin was sweating. He clenched his arm, trying to stop the bleeding. He could hear a second one getting away, making his way to the castle. His heart raced.

"Chrom, are you all right?"

He grunted in pain. "...Get Lissa..."

Robin nodded frantically. "I'm on it."

And then he ran, desperately trying to cover his wound with the cuff of his cloak. Little did he know that the mysterious invaders' army kept drawing nearer towards the city's walls.

* * *

 **Author's Notes**

Hot damn, shit's going down, isn't it? There's something that seems to be missing from this story, though, I wonder what it is...

Yes, "Marth" is very much MIA, as was shown by this chapter, which means that this is in fact the doomed timeline where she originally came from, just 20 years earlier. I had dropped some subtle hints throughout such as the Shepherds not talking about the Risen attacks because, well, they didn't actually happen, as well as some events happening out of order. Almost the entire story from now on is going to involve playing around with the bad timeline, which should be tons of good fun.


	8. Chapter 8

It was dusk at the top of Yisstol's city walls. Cordelia was on her lookout shift, along with Belle, a veteran pegasus knight. She had finally started her service after looking forward to it for months, but the experience was nowhere near as fulfilling as she was looking forward to. She felt a gaping emptiness in her heart; She had felt as though there was nothing to fight for anymore.

She felt herself tense up, her fist clenching her spear tighter and tighter. A silent rage boiled inside of her, how could she have let this happen? She couldn't live with the fact that she never had the courage to tell Chrom that she loved him, more than anyone in the world. But because of her cowardice, she had lost. She should have been less worried and just gone with the flow. That's what Sumia does, and look at where she is now! Probably schmoozing off somewhere near the castle, baking another goddamn pie.

 _You've got it pretty good now, eh Chrom? Well gee, I guess I wouldn't know. I'm just that shy, useless girl who does nothing but train and never talks to anyone._

"Er, Cordelia, are you all right?"

Oh for the love of Naga, she's just muttered half of her thoughts out loud.

An awkward silence persisted.

"Oh, er, it's... nothing, Belle. Don't worry about it."

Belle chuckled. "It's your first day, isn't it?"

Cordelia sighed. "It is."

"Stressed?"

"I suppose."

Belle looked over at her. Her long cobalt braid danced in the lights from the city below as it blew in the wind. Her face was hardened by her years of service, but her eyes still shone like cut sapphires. "Cordelia, we're all very proud of you."

Cordelia went back to looking forward. Empty compliments weren't going to help her in the slightest.

"...Thanks."

She smiled. "You may not want to believe it, Tiamo, but the whole squadron thinks that you've been incredible."

Cordelia's eyes slowly shifted around. "The whole squadron. They think that about me."

Belle laughed. "Of course we are! Good grief, you're so talented, and yet you don't even realize how gifted you really are. It's a bit of a shame honestly. But damn it, I'll have you know that I wasn't even anywhere near as good as you are back when I was your age. You've really raced through the ranks, and I don't think it was all just due to the sudden need for soldiers because of the war... wait, crap, I don't think I was actually supposed to let that slip to the new kid."

"Actually, I already knew about that."

"Oh. Well then, never mind, we can just pretend that all that never happened."

Cordelia laughed a little.

"But, yeah. I talked with the rest of the others, and we all agreed that you were probably the most... qualified... person to move up. Hell, I think that you were more than qualified. In fact, I'd call you a genius."

Cordelia looked at her. "You really think so?"

"Hey, what does Phila say all the time about listening to your superiors? I think you've got some incredible potential in store, and I can't wait to see it come into full play some day. You're going to be just fine."

"...Thanks, Belle."

She went back to scanning the deep blue horizon. The great mountains were covered with great dark trees, and small villages dotted the landscape. There were lights coming from each one, looking like clusters of stars from far away. It was dark, and quiet.

But almost too quiet.

A cold wind passed through and chilled Cordelia to the bone. Something was very wrong.

Suddenly, a great orange blaze overcame one of the villages. It lit up like hellfire.

Then the same thing happened to another.

And another.

Before she knew it, half of the surrounding villages were becoming engulfed in flames. Cordelia gasped in terror. A great army could be seen marching across the valley, torches blazing, wyverns towering and flying, as they flew a violet flag with an emblem that nobody had ever seen before.

"Naga's name, Tiamo, do you see what I'm seeing?"

"Yes, I do. We need to mobilize."

"You've got that right. Tonight's the night our training pays off, Cordelia. We'll show those dastards who's boss. Officer Valentine!" She called down below.

"Yes, Private!" A falcoknight shouted from below.

"There's enemy forces coming through the valley, we don't know what they are, but there's hundreds of them!"

The officer hesitated."...Everyone assemble! We need every bit of firepower we can get!"

The knights below all grabbed their weapons and mounted their pegasi, all ready for battle. One by one, they flew up to the top of the wall ready to defend, as the archers and artillery mages up top readied their weapons.

Every one of the soldiers was ready to fight to the death to protect their capitol and their Exalt.

All twelve of them.

* * *

"Lissa!"

Robin stormed through the eerily empty hallway, his footsteps echoing loudly throughout as the statues lining the walls glared down at him with their judging, demonic eyes. He felt himself fading away as he continued to lose blood. His run slowed gradually to a walk. "No, no... not here... not now..." He muttererd. His breathing was shallow, barely enough to keep up with his racing heart.

The palace was a labyrinth. Dozens of doors dotted the great, looming corridors. Each hall branched off in a seemingly impossible manner, navigating solo was unfathomable. If only Chrom had been there to tell him where to go, lost and all alone, crying for help in a painful agony. He had no idea where the entrances or exits were, nor the quarters belonging to the princess or her bodyguard. The vast expanse swallowed him whole, the tick-tocking of a giant grandfather clock madly filled the hall with despair. With every ticking second of the clock, Robin's options only grew lesser and lesser.

He stopped. He felt a cool breeze flooding into the hall, surrounding him with a determined wind. Out of the corner of his eye branching hallways led to a great, arched exit, open and unguarded. Robin shakily ran over to the door, nearly collapsing onto a marble column. He leaned on it to keep himself standing. He needed to reorient himself, he needed to keep going. Gravity dragged on his body. There wasn't much time left. The indigo sky was set off by burning flames over the town below. He could barely fight at all in his current state, there was nobody to direct, the situation was hopeless. He sank slightly towards the ground. His vision began to blur as he noticed a violet flag flying atop one of the gates to the city. He couldn't even think of what to do any more. He'd lost his greatest asset, his analyzation and sharp mind.

All he could do was just remark on how strange the flag looked.

Violet? What an odd colour for a flag, he thought. Not even an emblem on it, how curious. He felt himself fading away into nothingness. But, as he continued to stare at the flag amidst the chaos and noise, he noticed that it did indeed have an emblem, his vision had just blurred beyond comprehension. He tried with all his willpower to at least see who was invading. It looked like an inverted triangle... a very squiggly one, although perhaps it could have been his eyes... gods he'd lost an awful lot of blood... oh, it has eyes...

 _six eyes..._

He snapped up in shock.

He was immobilized, eyes wildly glazed and staring at the distant flag.

No... it couldn't be.

He lifted his right hand. His glove was caked in sweat and blood from trying to keep his wound at bay. He picked up his left arm and fiddled until he got the ruined glove off. The cool breeze enveloped his hand. Sweat dripped down his brow. He clenched his hand into a tight fist. His heart continued to race. Slowly and shakily, he turned his hand around...

Robin blacked out with the mark of Grima burned into his mind.

* * *

Cordelia could see Belle's eyes darting nervously around. The jerkiness and nervousness in her movements were deeply disturbing for a knight of her experience and formidability.

"Wh-why are there so few of us here at the gate?" She implored. Her voice shook as it struggled to overcome the volume of the advancing troops.

Officer Valentine gave her a grim look. "These were the only troops deployed here for the night. Commander Phila and the strongest platoon are abroad, and the rest are at the castle."

"What? We can't fight them on our own! We're vastly outnumbered, they'll rip right through our lines like they were made of paper!"

"And they'll only do it more easily if you panic and let your guard down, Private!" She snapped.

"But we-"

"Calm down, Belle, remember your training. If we stand our guard and maintain formation we'll be just fi-"

Suddenly, an arrow flew right into Valentine's forehead.

Her eyes became lifeless glass marbles as they rolled back into her head, blood trickling out of her mouth as she finally keeled over to her right and fell like a heavy ragdoll, still clenching her javelin in her cold fist.

Cordelia stared at the officer's lifeless body laying twenty feet below. The smell of blood lay stagnant in the air.

Belle screamed. "Maria, NO!"

An uneasy atmosphere fell over the scene, chilling her bones, as a knight panicked and charged to her death, sending everyone into a flurry of clashing spears and swords as fire and lightning chaotically rained down from above.

* * *

 **Author's Notes**

Special shoutout to Emmeebee ( u/4544582/) for beta reading and editing on my first couple of chapters! She's been a huge help, helping to turn an average story into something worth reading, and I really appreciate it! She hasn't done this one quite yet due to scheduling, so I'm just hoping that it's all right as of now. I mean, I got 7 chapters in with 65 followers, so I must be doing SOMETHING right.

Golly gee willikers Phila's tactics are awful. Wouldn't you like for _her_ to learn a little something from Robin, eh?

The first and last thirds of this chapter came very naturally story-wise to me, which is always really nice. But my oh my, Robin's story kept changing direction for me, and it never really gained momentum until now. In short, it's a lot different from my original plan, which, while it may have been kind of nice from a shipping standpoint, really made the characters come off as cowardly in retrospect. The scene's spirit will probably live on, but just in a different way.

Story fun fact time! Belle is actually named after the main character of Fire Emblem: Staff of Ages, which is a pretty neat FE7 romhack made by my internet shitpost fam r/fireemblemcasual. It stars a pegasus Lord, so that's pretty fun. It's not done quite yet, but give it about 5 million years and it should be the best romhack ever! I also created a character for it named Jay, who appeared waaaaaaaaaaay back in chapter 2.

Officer Maria Valentine doesn't have a real origin, though, I just thought the name sounded neat. It's like you've got this pretty, damselly-sounding feminine name, but then you stick an "Officer" in front of it and then WHOOSH instant badassery. Too bad she only got like 5 lines in the entire story, I kinda liked her, especially since she was on a first-name basis with Belle. Maybe she'll be like the Boba Fett of this story. Or perhaps more realistically, the one stormtrooper that spins around his gun and yells "Traitor!"


	9. Chapter 9 (But not really)

Hey everyone! You have officially reached the end of the story. Darn, it was just getting good, wasn't it? Yeah, school caught up to me, plus much like Cordelia herself I am the worst kind of perfectionist there is, so I wasn't liking how my story was turning out. Bummer.

However, there is a new fic i have in the works in the moment, and it follows the same plotline I was going for here. The twist is it starts in the bad future, and Severa's the one telling the story as the daughter of Robin and Cordelia. If you liked this one, you should definitely check out my new story, _Left Below._ I trust myself in saying that it is FAR better organized than the last story, so there's a chance that it might actually get done.

The first three chapters are already being hosted on my AO3 (under ladyCubert), but I'll be uploading each chapter once per week on this site as well just because, after all, this site is where my original audience came from, plus some people don't want to go through the hassle that is making an account on AO3 which is understandable.

Thanks to all my readers for everything, you've really helped me to not just become better at writing, but expressing myself creatively in general.

love: ladyCubert


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